July 25
July 25
Reading all these wonderful tributes I have come to the realization that for my Dad his years and best contributions came after he "retired." Having recently retired, this brings me hope. I appreciate all who came to his memorial service at the Quaker Meeting House in Waynesville. I especially remember the words of Dr. David Small who testified that he was a believer in Jesus and lived in that light, demonstrating it through his actions. This was a great encouragement to me, a born again Christian, as I seek to please Christ with every endeavor of life. Dad never talked much about his faith, but after our family did a short term mission to Nepal, we saw a change in his life. He began to read the Bible. His mission work in China was a great blessing to him, and he had many great faith conversations with his Seventh Day Adventist colleagues at Run Run Shaw. Clark Hoffman, surgeon and missionary, had many good conversations about ultimate things with him as well. Dad gave me a book about the quest for the "real Mount Sinai" which I enjoyed. He loved the silent worship of the Quakers as a way to honor and reverance God. He was most comfortable with silent prayer. He confessed Jesus as the "Son of God" and was very offended when someone questioned whether he was truly committed to Christ. He was a "doer of the word" (James 1:22). He showed his faith by his works, (James 2:18, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.") Since Dad didn't discuss his faith in Christ much at all, I found myself crying out by his deathbed, "I wish you had told me if you belonged to Jesus." it was a real comfort to me that David Small testified about my Dad's faith in Christ. I was blessed to sit beside Dad's bed the night before he died; I got to read him several chapters from the book of John which seemed to bring him comfort and peace. The next morning Anna and I were together in his bedroom and realized that he was dead. I am so thankful that Jesus alone is judge of the living and the dead; God the Father gives that role exclusively to him. As the Messianic Jewish believers say, my father, may his name be blessed, lived a life of faith in Jesus Christ.